Florid Fields
by Time Signature
Summary: A Contestshipping Day one-shot! May and Dawn are in the Pick a Peck of Colors flower shop, learning the definiton of... Sequel is up!
1. Hyacinth

Florid Fields

A/N: This is a one-shot (may become a collection of one-shots) for Contestshipping Day. Minor Ikarishipping included.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. All rights belong to Satoshi Tajiri.

~oOo~

Stepping into the Pick a Peck of Colors flower shop, May was immediately greeted with the sweet scents of the abundant spring flowers surrounding her. She whipped around her walnut brown hair, searching for her coordinator friend who had invited her over to Sinnoh. Soon catching sight of familiar navy locks, the cheery girl practically skipped over to Dawn, who had not seen May enter due to the fact that she had been bending over a bucket of lavenders.

"Dawn," called the senior coordinator as she tapped the other girl on the shoulder. Lightly annoyed by the lack of response she received, May tried again.

"Dawn!" the girl repeated insistently. This finally caught the blunette's attention, as she snapped her head back up to face her friend.

"Eep! No need to worry!" Dawn yelled, causing the other customers and workers to turn their heads in the two girls' direction.

"Nothing to see here!" she chirped, before lowering her voice and apologizing to May, "I meant, sorry for ignoring you. I must have been too absorbed in the flowers…"

The elder maiden shook her head, replying, "It's okay. Anyway, what do you want to do? I didn't come over to Sinnoh for nothing, you know."

Dawn laughed and gestured for May to enjoy the blossoms as well. "After all," she smiled, "that's the point of a _flower shop_."

The girls aimlessly walked around the cozy store for a while, lightly conversing about coordinating, fashion, and other interesting topics as they did so, until May stopped before a bucket filled with pale blue-violet flowers.

"What is this called?" she softly murmured. Then, reading the label, she lisped, "Hyacinth." Actually saying the term made her realize that its pronunciation seemed easier than it actually was. She pulled one stalk out of the metal container, turning it around to better see the blossoms covering it and watching the clear droplets run down the stem and _plink_ back into the water.

A store attendant discreetly stepped toward the brunette, but before she could reach the potential customer, Dawn turned around from the pail of lilacs she had been gazing. For some reason, she was drawn to all the light purple flowers…they reminded her of something, or someone. Stepping closer to her friend, she asked May, "Want some? I could get them for you. It's the least I can do for asking you to come over from Hoenn while you were taking a break."

The elder girl shook her head, replying, "Thanks, but no thanks. I was just wondering what it was, because I've never seen them in Hoenn," while placing the single stalk back into the vessel.

This piqued the blunette's curiosity, as she tilted her head to one side and commented, "You can find these in Sinnoh quite often. They're especially numerous here in Floaroma Town. They meant…they meant…ugh, I can't remember. I know that mom told me a long time ago." She then bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brows in concentration.

Seizing her chance, the worker stepped toward them with a heavy, old-fashioned book in her hands. "Excuse me, but would you like to know the meaning of hyacinths?" she questioned.

Seeing both girls show their assent, the assistant, whose name tag read "Marissa," hefted open the leather-bound volume and thumbed through the well-worn pages, stopping at a particular leaf with complicated script and a pen-and-ink drawing much like the hyacinth May had previously been holding. As she did so, however, a loose note fluttered out of the tome and to the tiled floor.

"Hmm?" hummed Dawn as she crouched down to pick the piece of paper up. It had the telltale signs of having been torn out of a notepad, and both originally white sides were covered in neat, slanted cursive.

As she returned the note to Marissa, the attendant started explaining with a proud expression.

"This book is written in the ancient language of Sinnoh, and even though it itself had been found many decades ago, it's only recently that we've been able to use it. We can't show enough gratitude to Champion and researcher Cynthia for decoding it."

She paused a moment to breathe, then continued, "Hyacinths mean…," skimming down the page. "Aha! They mean 'Hidden love' or 'Blossoming love.'" Anyone you girls have in mind?" She giggled like a small child who had had their prank succeed.

Dawn, the dense one, immediately shook her head. "No, I don't think so…" May, on the other hand, froze for a moment before protesting violently at the image of a certain green-haired _rival_ that popped into her head as soon as she heard the phrase "Hidden love."

Waving her hands up and down comically, she opened and closed her mouth several times much like a Magikarp before managing to gasp, "No, no, no, I don't, any hidden love, no, Drew or love!" Her friend failed to understand the jumble of words, but Marissa seemed to.

"Ohhh…" she trailed off in a knowing voice. "May, right? Your reaction is quite obvious. You are in _love_ with that Drew person."

Dawn pouted. "How is that reaction obvious?" she asked, before comprehending what the lady had said. "Wait, May, you're in love? With Drew? Wait, I've heard a lot about him from you. He's your rival, right? But come to think about it, I recall you praising him more than once." Dawn stated all of her opinions outright, remembering only after she had finished that she should have been more tactful.

"Sorry…" she apologized, bowing her head down as a sign of remorse. Her dark blue hair, pulled by gravity, fell before her, hiding her expression. May, blushing, smiled at her younger friend to show that she was not angry. Then a shadow crossed her face.

"Drew probably doesn't think any more of me than a rival, anyway. Also, he's got way prettier fans than me."

Both companions placed a hand on each of her shoulders, comforting her.

"Don't make assumptions, May," advised Dawn. "Go up and tell him how you feel."

Marissa followed, "That's right. It's better than him never knowing. Besides, he might feel the same way." Perhaps she saw a fragment of herself in the brunette and the way she worried about loving someone.

"O…k," stuttered May. "I'll do it. Just not now. Maybe when I've caught up to him. I'm still two ribbons behind him, you know."

"All right, then. That problem's solved. What about you buy a stalk of hyacinths, and send him that? Wait, is he acquainted with flowers?" Marissa quickly switched into "business mode" and asked her potential customer.

"Yes, he always has a rose. He gives them to my Pokemon after doing a good job in contests," replied May.

The other two mentally shouted, "How can you be that dense!? He's giving them to _you_!"

May and Dawn walked out of the flower shop after conversing a little more with Marissa, the former preciously carrying a wrapped hyacinth stalk with many buds in her arms. It would only be a little more until the hyacinth buds would open. It would only be a little more until May's hidden love became unveiled.

~oOo~

Author's Note: I had the plot Buneary for this for quite a long time, but learning that it was Contestshipping Day, I just decided to finish. Hence the rushed quality near the end. Hope you liked it!

I was debating whether to finish it the way I did, or… "Far away in Hoenn, Drew sneezed repeatedly. 'Is someone talking about me?' he asked," but that's a bit humorous, and that didn't fit the theme.

I know that Drew didn't appear. I'm sorry.

Thanks for reading!

Time Signature


	2. Marguerite

Florid Fields

A/N: This is the sequel to Hyacinth. Thanks for requesting!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. All rights belong to Satoshi Tajiri.

~oOo~

"…is Drew! Congratulations on earning your fifth ribbon, which allows you to enter this year's Grand Festival!"

I watched the television screen as on the stage, Lillian bestowed the small, heart-shaped ribbon to Drew. The crowd cheered, his fans the loudest. He just lazily waved his hand at them. So…confident. I guess he has reason to be; he got his fifth, but I'm still at my fourth. Should I? I promised myself that I'd do it after I got all my ribbons, but I won't be able to see him until the Grand Festival if I do that.

I looked down at the lone marguerite I grasped in my hand. Marissa told me that it would last for a long time, because it was preserved or something. It was apparently a flower used for a confession.

As I stepped out of the coordinators' room, the waves of people rushed past me. Most were girls hugging parcels or flowers to their chest. Probably chocolate…ugh, why did the Contest have to be on _Valentine's Day_? Considering the roses, they're probably for Drew, right? That stung a little.

While I was wondering, a light burst from my pouch, materializing my Munchlax.

"_No!_" I shrieked, noting the beeline my Pokemon made for the sweet-smelling boxes, bags, and other containers. Lithely evading my grasp (how can a Munchlax do that?), he ripped open everything and stuffed the confections into his mouth. Around me, despairing wails filled the air. Frantic shouts, angry yelling, all these voices streamed into my head.

_It's my fault._

And the girls knew that, too. After their initial panic, they calmed down and made a circle around my Munchlax and me. There fell an eerie silence before one of his fans strode out. Swinging her long ivory ponytail from side to side, she glared at me and shouted, "That…_thing_'s yours, right? How are you going to compensate for my chocolate?"

_I can't._ All of these are probably handmade. This was the day that girls pulled together all of their courage to confess – and my Munchlax took away that chance in a matter of seconds.

"I'm sorry…" I knew that this wouldn't do it. Nothing would. But it was the only thing I could say to them. I hung my head in shame.

For a few moments, no one spoke. Then another of his supporters opened her mouth. "Hey, I thought I saw this girl before. Isn't she the one that claims that she's Drew-sama's rival? So arrogant!"

As soon as she finished saying that, everyone started agreeing. Meanwhile, the first girl spoke again.

"Oh, she must have done it on purpose. She didn't want any of us to give our chocolate to him. That's why she sent out her Munchlax! Selfish girl!"

No, I didn't do it. No, I didn't do it! _No, I didn't do it!_

But no one would believe me. It did seem rather well-executed, after all. Everyone chorused, "_Sel-fish! Sel-fish!"_

…maybe I did do it. I felt jealous there, right? Maybe I did do it.

I felt my eyes growing hot, my world becoming blurry. My knees buckled under me, and the flower in my back pocket felt strangely uncomfortable. I hugged my oblivious Munchlax to ignore the fact that my shoulders were shaking. My voice, no matter how much I tried to stop it from trembling, trembled.

"I'm…sorry…"

And all around me, everyone chorused, "_Sel-fish! Sel-fish!_"

Then a voice pierced through my dulled brain.

"What's going on here?"

_I'd know that voice anywhere. _But I still kept my head down; I couldn't face him right now. Not with what I did.

Everyone simultaneously turned around to the green mop of hair that was steadily approaching.

"Ah, Drew-sama!" They all exclaimed.

He repeated, "What's going on here?" and then paused and asked hesitantly, "May?"

Oh, that's right. I don't have my bandana on. That must be why.

During these thoughts, his fans started to explain. "Well, the girl here – the one who calls herself your rival – sent her Munchlax out to eat all our chocolate."

He remained silent. Then the girls continued, "And we thought that we'd get rid of her for you; she stains your name and reputation as a great coordinator."

I didn't have anything to say. How could I? It's my fault. _It's all my fault._

I stared at the tiled ground, but then a hand stretched out to me. I raised my head suddenly, and there was _Drew_.

"Wh…why?" I could not stop myself from asking. Why would he want to even look at a pathetic girl like me?

His eyes looked straight at me. "May, get up. I know you'd never do something like that."

But…._I did._

His fans thought so too, because they gasped and began to protest. But they all fell silent when he spoke.

"The May I know, the May that is _my rival_, would never do something as low as that. Isn't that right?"

Did he ask me? I think so; there's no one else named May. Then I grabbed his waiting hand and pulled myself up.

"Why?" I asked.

He didn't answer; instead, he ran out of the Contest hall, me in tow. My Munchlax Rolled to follow.

Outside, he faced me. "May…" he began. He's going to blame me, I know. I don't want to hear it! _I don't want to hear it!_

I dashed away from him. I needed to get away.

I found a field I could collapse in. So I did. All around me, the pastel-colored flowers waved lightly in the breeze. The smell of earth, mixed with a faint scent of early summer, filled my nose just like the endless green that reminded me of his hair did in my vision. And in this field, I cried. The tears I had fought so much to stop finally overflowed. My world dulled into splashes of simple colors.

_And I cried._

Once I had I stopped crying, rubbing my eyes forcefully, a certain white blossom caught my eye. I crawled closer to it, and found that it was a marguerite. I pulled my old one out, but it was crushed from my sitting down on it before. The stem was bent at an odd angle in the middle, and some of the pure white petals had been ripped apart. This reminded me of a game Marissa had taught me. Apparently, while pulling one petal at a time, I chant, "He loves me" or "he loves me not."

Tearing the new flower from the stalk, I put my fingers on the first petal.

"He loves me."

A small petal fell to my lap.

"He loves me not."

Another small petal fell.

"He loves me…"

There grew a small pile of white petals in my lap, until only one remained on the flower. I looked at the endless blue sky to stop that tear from falling, instead of the last petal.

"He…loves me…not."

I sighed. I wonder why I even decided to confess. It was futile, anyway.

I was about to get up, but then a shadow grew from behind me. Whirling around, I found _Drew._

Putting his hands on my shoulders, he whispered,

"He loves you."

~oOo~

Author's note: Aah, that was so…emotional! Angsty, and then so…an overflow of romance! I don't know how I was even able to write that!

If the romance seems unrealistic, it's because I have no personal experience, and have no intention to have any in the future. It's all from other books and other fics that I've read.

Thanks for requesting the sequel, L. and Anica!

This is the end of _Florid Fields_. I can't write anything more romantic than this.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it!

Time Signature


End file.
